Unwinding device for spools.



J. L. WALSH. UNWINDING DEVICE FOR SPOOLS. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 2.

1,080,739., Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Jlllll lllllllllllllllllllll-lllfl/lll I 5 mm.

.lllllllllllllllll any suitable manner.

KTED TATE PATENT @FFEQE.

JOHN L. WALSH, or onxcnso, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY Dinner AFN-D MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, 'ro IDEAL mncnmnmr COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIsA oonron'auzlon OF ILLINOIS.

themes.

UNWINDING- DEVICE FOR SPOOLS.

Patented Dec. 9, this.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN L. WALsn, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Unwinding Devices for Spools, of which the following 1s a description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of tlns spec1- fication.

This invention relates to unwinding devices for spools, bobbins and the like, and 1ts main object is to prevent. raveling and tangling of the thread when the latter 1s being unwound from the spool or other like device upon which it has been wound.

Another object is to provide a device of this character, capable of use in connection with a non-rotativcly supported spool, whereby the thread thereon may be readily unwound without danger of raveling or tangling- Theinvention consistsin the several novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the drawings furnished herewith Figure 1 is a side elevation of an unwinding device embodying the preferred form of the invention, Fig; 2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal section thereof, Fig. 31's a cross section taken on line 3-3 'Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 14 Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a plan, looking from below, of a check ring showing an adjustable support therefor.

Iteferring to said drawing, 10, designates a spool support, here shown as comprising a flat disk 11,- provided with a centrally located, hollow spool, supportingstem 12, which opens out through the disk. In the form shown, the spool 13 is supported in a horizontal position and in this case-the disk 11, extends in a vertical plane and is supported by a bar 14, secured thereto in Said bar 14;, when used to support the device, is arranged to be mounted on the sewing machine upon which the device is used, and it is here shown as provided with a downwardly projecting sleeve or thimble 15, that may he; slipped upon thespool-spindlelG, of the sewing machine head. If it is desired to support the device and spool in an upright'pesition the disk 11, and spool may he slipped upon the spool-spindle 16.

The bar 14 is spaced away from the spool so as to allow ample clearance, and at its free end said bar carries a check ring 17, arranged parallel with the face of the disk 11, and concentrically disposed with respect thereto. It is preferred to mount the check ring 17, adjustably upon the bar 14, so as to afford means whereby the ring may have a slight, movement toward or away from the disk 11, and as shown this may be accomplished by means of a clasp or gripping piece 18, secured to the ring and slidably mounted upon the bar, the one being held in place upon the other by friction. The clasp or grlpplng piece 18 is formed with overhanging flanges 19, that embrace the side edges of the bar 14, and frictionally hold the parts together.

The inside diameter of the check ring is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the spool flan e to permit the free passage of the thread therebetween, and it is adusted to a position near the adjacent end of the spool which is surrounded thereby.

On theend of the spool, opposite. the end non-rotatl'vely seated on the hollow stem 12 of the spool holder 10, is a thread guiding member 23, said member, in its simplest form, comprising a disk 20., of larger diameter than the spool, and having a tubular stem 21, adapted to be frictionally secured in the central opening of the spool by contact with the surrounding wall thereof. A tubular extension 22, projects from the face of the disk 20, opposite the stem 21, and the wall of said extension is rounded off at its end to provide a smooth finish therefor. The peripheral edge of the disk 20, is rounded ofi, and the ring 17 is preferably made of round wire to present smooth sur-.

In use a spool of thread, either silk, linen,

cotton or any other of; the well known kinds, and of proper size for use in connection with the device, is secured upon the hollow stem 12 of'the spool holder 10, the thread being allowed to extend out through the check ring 17; the thread guiding member 19, is then secured upon the other end of the spool by inserting the tubular stem 21, into the hollow of the spool.v The protruding end of the thread, which now passes between the inner edge of the check ring 17, and the peripheral edge of the disk 20, is threaded in through the tubular extension 22, the hollow of the spool and out through the hollow stem 12, and disk 11, from which it is passed to and threaded through the various tension means and guides and thence to the needle of the sewing machine head. As the thread is drawn from the spool it passes under the ring and over the edge of the disk 20, to and around the end of the extension 22, and through the spool and as it unwinds from the spool it travels around between the ring and edge 21 of the disk without neces' sarlly contacting with the rough edge of the spool flange. By properly adjusting the check rin upon its supporting bar, sufficient friction upon or resistance to the movement of the thread is produced to prevent any undue unwinding, hence the danger of raveling or tangling of the thread is wholly eliminated. Th1s resistance is not sufiicient, however, to prevent the thread from being freely drawn from the spool.

It is readily understood that the proportions of the device may be changed to suit the different purposes to which the device is put. When used to unwind bobbins, the supporting sleeve or thimble 15 is omitted, anddthe parts made to fit the size of bobbin use It is to be understood that the term spool, in the following claims is intended to include bobbins and other analogous devices upon which thread is wound for use in connection with sewing machines.

I realize that various alterations and modifications of the device are possible without departing from the spirit of this invention and I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to the exact details of construction shown except as may be necessitated by the prior state of this art.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An unwinding device of the class described, comprising a spool holder arranged to non:rotatively support a spool of thread, a statlonarily supported check ring surrounding a free end of the spool, and a thread guiding device secured upon said free end of the spool, and having a circular, unbroken edge projecting beyond the spool flange, and cooperating with said check ring to form tension mechanism for the thread, said thread iding device having also a thread-receiving opening, registering with the hollow of the spool, said unbroken edge of the thread guiding device acting as a smooth track, across which the thread may pass from the spool to and through said opening in the thread guiding device.

2. An unwinding device of the class described, comprising a spool holder arranged to non-rotatively support a spool of thread, a stationarily supported check 'ring surrounding a free end of the spool, and a disk secured to said free end of the spool and having a circular, unbroken edge projecting beyond the spool flange, and cooperating with said check ring to form tension mechanism for the thread, said disk having also a central opening, registering with the hollow of the spool, and through which the thread may pass to and through the hollow of the spool, said unbroken edge acting to direct the thread from the spool toward said opening.

3. An unwinding device of the class described, comprising a spool holder arranged to non-rotatively support a spool of thread, a check ring surrounding a free end of the spool, a support therefor, and a thread guiding device secured to said end of the spool,

and comprising a circular disk of greater disk and extending lengthwise to the spool,

a check ring carried by said bar and surrounding the free end of the spool, a circu lar disk having a hollow stem frictionally secured in the hollow of the spool, and a tubular extension on its outer face and registering with said hollow stem, said disk being of greater diameter than the check ring and 006 crating therewith to check the movement 0 the thread coming from the spool.

5. An unwinding device of the class described, comprising a spool holding disk having a tubular stem adapted to enter the hollow of the spool and frictionally hold said spool on said disk, a supporting bar secured to said disk and extending lengthwise to the spool, a check ring surrounding the free end of the spool and adjustably mounted on said bar whereby it may be moved lengthwise of the spool, and a thread-guiding device having a circular disk arranged to be secured against the end ,face of the spool adjacent t e check ring, said disk beand said thread guiding device having also a tubular extension registering with the hollow of the spool.

6. An unwinding device of the class described, comprising a spool holding disk arranged to non-rotatively support a spool of thread, a check ring supported adjacent, and surrounding the free end of the spool, a disk having a circular, unbroken edge projecting beyond the free end of the spool, and forming a smooth circular track over which the thread may pass from the spool, said disk being provided with a central tubular extension registering With the hollow of the spool, into and through which the thread may pass from the edge of said disk.

7. An unwinding device of the class described, comprising a supporting bar having a thimble arranged to be seated upon a stem, a spool holding disk secured at one end of said bar and arranged to non-rotatively support a spool of thread, said bar having a check ring secured thereto at its other end and surrounding the free end of said spool, and a disk having a tubular stem frictionally seated in the hollow of said spool, and having also a tubular extension projecting from its outer face, said second named disk being of larger diameter than the check ring and arranged to deflect the course of thread from the spool to the end of said tubular extension.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, this 19th day of December 1912.

JOHN L. WALSH.

Witnesses:

CHARLES O. SHERVEY, MILDRED L. STU'PP. 

